to make it possible! We didn’t know how many people were coming but we knew there would be a lot of them.
Since The Bossmen were heavily involved with The Yardbirds coming to Ruidoso in the first place, they took on the many tasks that aren’t always thought of, as you hand your ticket in to go see a show. It’s easy to forget how much planning is involved by all concerned: musicians, promoters, venue staff, etc. It all comes together. The preparation that goes into bringing a group to any place, anywhere is lots of fun and provides a real education in the process. We found that out when we cleaned up The Hut the night before! We divided up the duties that we could take care of. Since I had my Dad’s big car, I was put in charge of meeting The Yardbirds at the airport and then picking them up from their hotel to take them to the concert.
REDDON: Thank heavens Dad had a big car, eh?
MALONE: Yeah, you’re not kidding! That was about the best job and I got it. I don’t recall what hotel they stayed at but I do remember picking them up. It was a real thrill. There I was, picking up my favourite group from the airport and chauffeuring them around. How cool was that for a teenager?
REDDON: I know, that’s too much. You must have been thrilled to pieces.
MALONE: I surely was! When I picked The Yardbirds up at the airport for their appearance at The Hut, it still sounds funny after all these years but it’s a very fond memory. They all seemed like very nice guys. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed chatting with them. It was quite the experience. I don’t know if this means anything to you but this is the way it was. Jeff Beck was sitting next to me in the front seat in the middle and Chris Dreja was in the front seat passenger side, next to Beck. Jimmy Page and the others were in the back seat. We all talked on the way to the concert. Jeff Beck offered me a stick of Doublemint gum!
REDDON:
I remember that gum! There used to be television commercials with pairs of twins and stuff with the goofy jingles.
MALONE: Yes! I also noticed that Jeff Beck had a big hickey on his neck. I razzed him about that and he took it very well!
Once we got to The Hut, The Bossmen went on first. Then The Yardbirds played. The place was packed and there were tons of people out in the street trying to hear what was going on. I don’t know if they had tickets because of the spillover from a larger venue but no one was causing trouble. All the security concerns about big concert events over the years that have occurred…we never gave them a second thought. It wasn’t even in the equation. It was a different time back then. Everybody was dancing and having a great time wherever they were.
There weren’t any crowd problems inside, either. There wasn’t any organized seating, really, inside The Hut. That’s the way it was in those days. Everybody was there for a hassle-free night of great music, thanks to The Yardbirds. They were incredible. It’s one thing to hear their records but when they’re playing and jamming as they go along on the songs you already know from the recorded versions, it’s a whole different experience. And that’s what they did. They jammed a lot on most of their numbers that night. I don’t recall what songs they played exactly but they played all their hits and then some. The concert was about two hours. Page was so loud, as was the rest of the band, but they sounded great!
All The Yardbirds were fabulous, just fabulous! I really loved jazz as well and improvisation was something I liked most about music. I think what impressed me most about them was their ability to improvise. It’s a genuine talent to be able to do that and they all had it. Page and Beck were especially fantastic. They complemented each other with an almost sort of musical telepathy. They jammed during many of the songs.
What impressed me the very most about The Yardbirds coming to Ruidoso and playing a concert? The fact that they didn’t slack off at all. You could tell they were very serious about what they were doing and very, very professional about it. The Yardbirds had so much fun while they were performing. You could feel it very strongly. I noticed the same thing with Janis Joplin and Big Brother and The Holding Company and Led Zeppelin when I saw them. All these bands had a great time on stage and it came shining through. Enjoying themselves and the audience they were playing for - that’s what it was all about for them. They felt the music and then you did, too.
The Yardbirds were all so focused, every one of them, catching the groove of one another at the same time they were all seemingly in their own respective, little worlds. The Hut was a very small place and not even where they were originally supposed to play in Ruidoso, like I said earlier. It didn’t matter to them at all that they weren’t in a huge venue. They gave it their very best, no matter what had happened, or was happening around their stop in Ruidoso.
The Hut went nuts for them, too. It was craziness from the first notes! Everyone loved their performance and it was truly memorable for us in so many ways. The fact we pulled together and pulled off the concert was a separate type of reward for those of us involved. What a special time!
REDDON:
That’s a remarkable recollection. How about after the concert? Did you get to party with The Yardbirds or did they go as quickly as they came?
MALONE: No, we spent some time with them. After the concert, I think they stopped and signed autographs for awhile and then we took them out to have a drink. We went back to The Bossmen’s house and had a party. I remember Jimmy Page was hanging around with a girlfriend of mine and I mainly talked with Chris Dreja at length about music. I was extremely impressed at how much knowledge Dreja had about all kinds of music. In particular, he said he wanted to turn me on to an album by this one artist which was incredible. He told me to swing by the hotel the next morning bright and early and he’d play the album for me, before I had to take the whole group back to the airport. As well, my friend, Karyn Turner, went out with a guy named Robert Fercus, who worked in management for The Yardbirds.
Anyway, the next day after The Yardbirds’ concert in Ruidoso, I could have picked a better time to go to the hotel, if you know what I mean…but it probably wouldn’t have mattered if I had gone later, either. There was no good time to stop by! And, I just want to say for the record, I was never a groupie. I never slept with any bands or artists. Once you did that, they stopped talking about the music!
REDDON: I think I know what you mean. Understood!
MALONE: Anyway, the artist Chris Dreja had spoken of so highly was Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. I had seen The Fuggs. Zappa was brilliant and avantgarde. Chris Dreja and I got along really well and it was fascinating conversation to speak with someone so well-versed in so many kinds of music. Eventually that day, I took them back to the airport. We said our good-byes and off they went. It’s an experience I’ll always regard as one of my best memories. It was all so incredible.
REDDON:
I’m completely captivated by your account and experiences with The Yardbirds in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Thanks very much, Loui, for telling me all about it and all the great information you provided in the process. When you originally contacted me a few months ago, you also mentioned you saw Led Zeppelin on the First U.S. and Canadian Tour at the Fillmore West in San Francisco between January 9 and 12, 1969. I’ve been researching that tour for the past decade plus, so I’d be very keen to hear any recollections you may have of experiencing Jimmy Page’s new band, Led Zeppelin, in 1969.
MALONE: As I’ve already said, I was never a groupie of any description, for any artist or band. I just wasn’t into anything like that and it was the music that really mattered to me. Because I spent a great deal of time at the Fillmore West, I got to know quite a few of the musicians who were also there a lot, to at least be able to say hi to. Some of them included Janis Joplin, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Grateful Dead, Country Joe and The Fish.
REDDON:
Before we get into what you thought about Led Zeppelin at the Fillmore West, when did you come to San Francisco and what was the big attraction?
MALONE: I went to San Francisco in 1966. When I got there, the first